Iron County register., 1887-06-30
BIT THE DUST.

An Attempt to Arrest Craig Tolliver and
His Gang in Rowan County, KY, Leads
to Fight in Which the Tollivers were
About Exterminated-The People Now
Breathe Easier.
MoREHEAD, KY. June 23.-About half
past eight O'clock yesterday morning
determined men to the number of one
hundred and sixty, all armed with Win
chester repeating rifles, came into More
head under charge of Sheriff Hogge to
serve warrant on Craig Tolliver, charg-
ing him with false swearing in issuing
warrants for the arrest of the Logan
boys, killed several weeks ago. As one
of the sheriff's posse was crossing the
railroad near the water tank, about fifty
yards east of the Raines Cottage Hotel,
and before any attempt had been made to
serve the warrant, Craig Tolliver who
was near the hotel, saw him and fred
at him. The man lodged behind
pile of lumber, and Tolliver and his two
cousins, Bud and Jay Tolliver, and Hiram
Cooper went into the hotel and barricad-
ed the doors and windows. Then the
posse came up under cover of the brush
behind the hotel and Immediately opened
fire upon the building The house was
soon surrounded, but at something of
distance, as none of the sheriff's mer
cared to get within range of the deadly
SuHS tuS 1O1l1SSTS hue" So VIGIL uO" "
use. After the firing had been kept up
for probably three-quarters of an hour,
the Tolliver men attempted to leave the
hotel and cross the railroad to another
hotel on the opposite side. While
making this foolhariy attempt
the notorious leader Of the gang which
has been such a terrier to Rowan County,
fell to the ground pierced by four balls
from the deadly Winchesters of the am.
pushed posse, two of the bullets going
through his head and two through his
breast The others got to the opposit
house and fought the posse for some time.
but finding the place less secure that they
had expected, they made an attempt to
re-cross the railroad to their old position.
In this they were unsuccessful, for all
three of them fell riddled with rife balls.
After ascertaining that no more resist
ance would be offered, the possee picked
up the dead men and placed them on the
floor of the porch of the Cottage Hotel.
Investigation showed that only one OF
the sheriff's posse was wounded, and
that was DR.. Brown, who received an
ugly flesh wound in the thigh. The fight
ing was kept up for two hours. During
the firing the utmost CONSERVATION pre-.
vailed among the women and children,
who ran from their houses and rushed to
the depot, hoping thereby to escape the
bullets. The passenger train, which is
due here at one O. clock, was delayed for
two and a half hours on account of the
shooting, as the fight began just as the
engineer whistled for Morehead. The
sheriff sent detail of men to stop the
train, but the engineer, hearing the rapid
firing brought the train to a stand
still before reaching the outskirts
of the town. After the fight was over
the engineer was permitted to run his
train into the depot, when it was imme.
diately boarded by number of the
sheriff's men armed with their Win
chesters. Ladies screamed and few
tainted, while many of the men had bust.
ness outside. The posse. however, care
fully searched the train for one of the
ToIliver gang they thought had escaped.
Catesby TolIiver, boy and brother tc
Craig, had hole shot through the leg OF
his pants. The posse was composed OF
the best men in Rowan County. They ap-
peared to be hard working farmers, and
were all sober, earnest looking men.
Every body in Morehead seems glad the
Tollivers are exterminated, and people
will now breathe easier. This gang IS a
dangerous organiza ton and the people OF
Rowan County will feel safer when they
are entirely exterminated.
Catesby Tolliver was captured just as !
he had wounded Bud Mannin, one of the |
posse, in the leg with pistol ball from |
big pistol he was shooting. He had also !
been wounded slightly in the slde
kilograms were sent to Lexington last !
night for four coffins ana four suits of !
clothes in which to bury the dead men.
During the Tolliver- Martin feud, which |
has extended over a period of more than |
three years, the following men have been
killed: Solomon Bradley, John Bradley, |
Whit Pattrey, B. Candell, Sheriff Baum.
garten, Marion Keaton, John Davis, c.
Davis, Wiley Tolliver, John B. Logan, W.
q. Logan, and one other, besides the four
ar lol ordo